the flying pig
I made up a pretty simple origami flying pig form a few years back when I couldn’t find any instructions to make one (since then, I think some rather lovely and much more complicated ones have surfaced, but anyhow this one is still fun and pretty easy). Content magazine has done a little feature on the figure so their readers can try it out. I’m Also reproducing the instructions here, in case anyone would like to try it out! I’d love to see how it comes out for you. Enjoy!
It’s been a busy week preparing for upcoming shows. Tomorrow is the opening for Song of the Birds at Cactus Gallery. I made 3 little paintings for the show. Birds are an old favorite of mine, and I enjoyed taking it in a bit of a different direction this time. Looks like it’s going to be another lovely show!
Hunters oil on panel 8″x10″
House Finch oil on panel 8″x10″
Upstairs Window oil on panel 8″x10″
I’ve also been painting work for Summer Flies at Flower Pepper Gallery which opens on the 28th of this month. I’ve been really connecting to this theme, since I’ve been spending a lot of time walking around my neighborhood and enjoying the season. My garden is full of Zinnias, tomatoes and 8 foot tall sunflowers all buzzing with activity. With this series I wanted my color palette to reflect a hot California summer just as it begins to fade. There’s something so bittersweet about the last few weeks of summer. There are 5 pieces total, here’s a little preview of 3 of them.
Along a Wire oil on panel 8″x10″
Tall Grasses oil on panel 9″x12″
Overripe oil on panel 9″x12″
I also just recently finished a commissioned piece which was a father’s day present for a long time collector. I had a great time incorporating the girls’ interests into the piece to create a portrait of them at such a sweet age.
Daughters oil on panel 24″x36″
That’s all for today! Next week I’ll have something extra exciting to announce. 
Last Moment -oil on panel
I’ve been pretty caught up in work and such lately so it’s about time I updated things a bit here. The last few months I’ve been busy creating a new body of work, but in between I’ve also done a few commissioned pieces and made some things for group shows. The picture above is a piece I did at the request of a friend so I thought I’d share it here since I like it, and it won’t be shown in a gallery space so this is really the only time anyone will see it unless you know where it lives.
Spinnerets – oil on panel 12″x12″
I made a pair of sister pieces which are both on display at different spaces in SF this month. The first is at Modern Eden and the second is at Wonderland SF. I really enjoy painting roses, it’s so easy to get lost in there for hours.
Cultivar – oil on panel 16″x16″
It’s been a long week in the studio and I’m looking forward to going out for a hike on the weekend. I hope you all get a chance to get out and enjoy the season, too!
The Rose oil on panel 5×7″
Love can come upon you unawares. I find it has happened to me this last year. I hope you all have had a happy Valentine’s day, celebrating the ones you love and the ones who love you. And perhaps also have had some time to howl at the full moon and find the animal inside you. Goodnight everyone!
oil on panel, 32″x48″, 2414
Well, I’ve decided that I’m going to try and update this thing every Friday so I’m back again. Today I gave a commissioned piece to it’s new owner. I don’t usually share commissions, but I’m pretty happy with how it came out. It was also really open commission, I was given the freedom to paint pretty much whatever I wanted so I ended up with a painting that I really enjoyed making and fits right into the work I’m doing. It’s kind of a special treat to be given this much freedom to make something especially for someone. It was really nice getting to know John and putting pieces of him into the piece.
Tonight is First Friday in downtown San Jose, and since I’ll have a piece in the Giese tribute show, I’ll be at KALEID Gallery for a bit before I go check out a few of the other exhibits. It’s really something seeing a huge sampling of sign pieces of Rey’s up on the wall, little bit’s from a career of over 70 years painting signs. You really get a feel for the person he was through his work. I like his sense of humor! The contemporary artists in the show all did fantastic work with their tribute pieces, too. There’s a write up on the show in the Metro and in the Mercury as well if you’re curious about it. The opening night is going to have a line up of cars (and a fire engine) that were painted by Rey taking up the whole left side of the street as well. Wee!
I’ve been a quiet one this last year. I’m very busy working on a few projects that I’m excited to talk about, but I’m waiting until they are a little more ready to be seen by other’s eyes. In the meantime, I’ve got a couple of shows coming up.
Please forgive the glare, it’s painted in very glossy enamels.
The first is the Rey Giese Tribute show at KALEID Gallery. I’m really stoked I got a chance to peek into the legendary Rey’s studio and choose one of his works to recreate. It was really hard to choose, there were so many amazing signs representing a lifetime of work. I ended up with this one becuase I liked that it had a pictorial element (and that parrot has such personality!) which is a lot more comfortable to me being more of a painter than a letterer. I also liked that the piece was from 1938 which is very early in his career and that felt right since I’ve only just recently started doing a wee bit of sign work. It’s kind of intimidating to be on the wall with such skilled work, hopefully people will be kind to my unpracticed attempt.
The next show is at Modern Eden. It’s the group show to accompany Sherri DeBow’s amazing solo show. The theme of the show is Nostalgia, each of us were asked to make a small work based on revered childhood toys and games. I chose to create a vanitas using my favored Death Pez dispenser (which I painted from life, yes I still have it).
Vanitas oil on cigar box, 2014
I painted it on a cigarbox for keeping small treasures in. I have always had a love for boxes, I suppose it only follows that now I paint on them.
I just finished a small series of paintings on cigar boxes. Typically, I hate to explain my work. I like for my work to remain ambiguous, allowing for the viewer to bring their own meaning to each piece. This series, however, revolves around a common theme, so I wanted to actually take a minute to write a bit about them. This series features women interacting with small birds, which on the surface may seem rather straightforward, I wanted to give you some background on some of the ideas I had while working on this collection in order to help put it in context.
Birds in mythology are often spiritual messengers and are associated with the soul. The birds are there to bring a message of comfort, hope and cheer. Perhaps, the nurturing of something more delicate than one’s self helps in the healing of wounds inflicted by the callousness of the world. I also associate small birds with the health of the environment. When miners would dig in the earth, they would bring small songbirds with them. These fragile birds, being more sensitive to toxins in the air, would be the first indicator of poisonous fumes that could be released through careless mining. If the bird died, the miners would know that they had to reach the surface quickly or suffer the same fate. Even in our modern day world, the first signs of the declining health of the ecosystem can be seen in the death of the smallest of these animals.
The girls in these paintings at first seem to be wounded. Battered and a bit worn down. The presence of the birds, however, points at the resilience of these women. There is a sense of comfort and peace that accompanies them, and in some cases the bird represent a defiance in the face of adversity. Like the canary in the mine, the healthy presence of these birds indicates the continued survival of the subject of the painting. More importantly, the birds bring with them a message of hope; even though they may be damaged on the outside, the core of their self endures.
If you are interested in any of the pieces in this series, contact Sandra at Cactus Gallery : http://cactusgallery.blogspot.com/
Thanks for looking!
As anyone who follows me already knows, I’m notably horrible at updating things online. So, I’ve decided to try and make something of an effort at it this year. I’ll post the more edited and collected thoughts here, if you’re interested in all of the inane things I post about, then you may want to follow me on facebook, twitter, tumblr or flickr. Pick your poison. I may seem a bit quiet as the year begins, but never fear! I have a few projects that I’m just beginning work on and I will reveal more about it when I have something worthwhile to show you. Suffice to say at the moment while I am finishing a few paintings for people to whom they have been promised, I’m also sketching and planning to finally begin this project which I’ve been wanting to get started for years now. I’ve bought and cut wood. Oh yes, it will happen!
In the meantime, you can still find some of the small paintings I made just for the holidays at KALEID Gallery and at Psycho Donuts (the picture above is of one of them, which has happily already found her new home). I also always have a few things at Modern Eden available online and at the Gallery. So there you go! Now let’s see if I manage to post here again in a timely fashion. Fingers crossed
Okay, it’s a fact. I am taking forever to get everything together and update this site for real. But in the meantime, I have work that is new, and you can see it! I just had a solo show at the fantastic Anno Domini and although the show is down, you can still look at the artwork (and buy it if you so desire) here: http://www.galleryad.com/art/archives/art/backroom/lacey_bryant/
The Sleepwalkers oil on door 2012
I am also very happy to have a new painting in the current group show “Myth” at Modern Eden Gallery in San Francisco. You can view that painting as well as the other work I have available at that lovely gallery here: http://www.moderneden.com/collections/lacey-bryant
The Fates oil on panel 2012
I will be sending more work down to the Cactus Gallery in Eagle Rock soon and I’m excited to be putting together a solo show there early next year! More details on that later.
I also have a couple of little pieces in the current show at Tasty in Seattle, and I hope to send a few more things up there for the next few group shows.
For those of you in the South Bay area, I do always have work on display at KALEID Gallery in Downtown San Jose, and I usually have work up at Psycho Donuts in Campbell as well.
I’ve recently painted an electrical box at the corner of Dana & Naglee in San Jose as a part of the Art Box SJ project. They’ve made a lovely map of all of the box locations (and are adding to it as more artists finish painting boxes) so if you’d like to take a tour you’ve got a handy starting point.
Make Room for all Things acrylic on electrical box 2012
I’m currently working on finishing up some commissioned projects and getting work together for the next few group shows before my crazy busy season of haunted house painting. I’m also going to be working on a number of small scale work just for the winter season, which will be available at 5 or 6 different places, more info on where and when later. Meanwhile, I’m trying to make time for weekly hiking trips and plenty of reading to recharge my brain. Over and out!
